#BlackLivesMatter, a movement that really brings the racists to light. This social movement is all about getting justice for the lives lost due to police brutality. However, there has been some controversy as to whether the BLM movement is advocating more racism within our culture. I'm here to tell you it is not, and if you think it is, you are the one advocating a division within our races.
As a young, white female, I don't experience the racism my friends of color do, therefore, the only way to be open-minded about the situation is to ask them questions. It's hard to understand this movement, especially if you’re not black, but bear with me and read on because there were a lot of points that helped me understand I am very privileged. In order to have a better outlook on the situation, I asked some black friends questions about the movement. It is better to ask someone who is the victim of social injustices how they feel, rather than jump to a conclusion about a movement that I find I cannot understand. "If you are silent in times of oppression, you are on the side of the oppressor."
One of the people I asked is a girl I went to high school with, Jane. When the BLM movement first started, she put a poster up at school to raise awareness. Quickly after she put it up, this redneck-wannabe racist scratched it out and smugly wrote #ALLLivesMatter. God forbid white people not get any social recognition. The high school was racially divided, but why? Was it the poster, or the reactions? Was it the already known racism of the girl who changed the poster, or the support that she got from a large portion of the non-black classmates? Either way, this act showed that there was hidden animosity and racism within the school, and the main one who got in trouble was Jane.
Another person I asked was a guy I went to high school with, Clarence. He told me a story about how he went to a restaurant, but before he got his food, the waitress gave them their checks because “Black teens have a habit of eating and then leaving without pay”. The waitress blatantly profiled them, and didn’t even give the teens a chance to prove themselves. They were so offended that the waitress grouped them in with thieving Black kids. It isn't fair that these kids were accused of dining and dashing, when anyone is susceptible to do that.
Little incidents like this prove to show that there is inherent racism in our society and it is up to us to change it. These teens were profiled by their peers, their waitress, and other people who assume the worst out of Black teens, and it isn’t fair to them. So many times people are given a label before they are given a chance to speak. Those are just minor examples that pale in comparison to the victims whose profiling resulted in their death. That is why BLM is the name of the movement. It isn't one race telling the others that they are more important than another, it is one race reminding themselves that they are just as important as other races.
Most of the people who look down upon the BLM movement simply don't understand it’s purpose. Did you know that at least 102 unarmed black people were killed in 2015? Did you know that unarmed Black people are being killed at five times the rate of unarmed White people? Out of all these cases of murder, only two police men were convicted. How do you think it feels to know that people of the same race as you are being killed by the authorities who are supposed to protect you? I can’t imagine the fear that goes with it.
People love to attack the Black Lives Matter movement by saying "No, ALL lives matter." WELL DUH. Of course, all lives matter. Everyone knows that, however White people aren't the ones being victims of police brutality at the rate that Black people are. I didn't understand this concept at first, because all lives do matter, but Jane told me that saying this is like showing up to an endangered animals fundraiser and screaming "Save the whales?? NO! Save ALL the animals!" It's like going to the doctor with a broken arm and he says "all bones need to be taken care of" like... yeah, but the arm is what needs fixing right now.
All lives do matter, but we need to focus on the lives that are being taken for granted. If you say All Lives Matter as a response to Black lives matter, 1. You aren’t taking time to listen to someone else, and that is offensive, and 2. You are using that as an excuse to end the conversation. It is a cowardly move to avoid a conflict that you cant understand, but if you would stop and listen to what this person is saying, you would realize there is a great fear being put into these people, and no one can protect them. This movement isn’t a cry for attention, it’s a cry for help.
If you're saying "well, they shouldn't have been doing anything illegal in the first place" You're right! No one should be doing anything illegal, but last time I checked, murder was illegal and these cops seem to be getting off pretty easily. *sips tea*. Regardless of whether these victims were breaking the law or being insubordinate, they certainly didn't deserve to die. They deserve a trial, or jail time, like everyone else. No crime is worth being killed without a trial. These lives are being stolen from black people, which is why the social movement's slogan is "#BlackLivesMatter" It’s almost like a reminder that their lives still matter to themselves, because the government doesn’t seem to know that.
Just like black lives matter, police lives matter, too. People don't deserve to be treated like criminals, and all police men don't deserve to be treated like murderers. There are corrupt people everywhere, and unfortunately they create a bad standard for everyone else. The recent action in the news breaks my heart. Alton Sterling did not deserve to die, but 5 innocent police men certainly didn’t deserve to die either. Violence only leads to more violence, and whoever murdered those police officers gave anti-BLM people ammo to fire at the movement. The poor actions of one person should not represent and entire group of people, retaliate with peace and be the bigger person. It is difficult, but violence will only set you back further.
If you still refuse to acknowledge that racism is a problem within our society, you are blatantly ignoring this injustice. No matter what your defense is for not believing in the Black Lives Matter movement, if you refuse to acknowledge that this is a problem in our society, in short, you're a racist. But regardless of whether you're a racist or not, the only thing that we can do to change our failing world is to pray for it. Pray for our society, that citizens will choose to make good choices. Pray for our authoritative figures, that they will have good judgement. Pray for justice for the lives that have been lost, because murder is murder. Pray for our country in general, because Lord knows that we need it. In these dark times, there isn’t much we can do, but the Lord can do anything, so trust that he has it all under control, even if it seems as if the world is total chaos.
So next time you hear someone talking about #BlackLivesMatter, don't hit them with that #AllLivesMatter" line, listen to them. Empathize with them, because they wouldn't be so passionate about something that doesn't resonate inside of them. Black people are literally afraid for their lives by the people who should be protecting them, the least you could do is support them or even pretend to care. If you can't relate to these problems, it's honestly a blessing. Congratulations, you aren't being profiled by the police, but other people are, take time to listen and support another person in their time of fear. We are called to love one another, and that love should be color blind.
